U.S. Loses Bear Fraud Case

By

Amir Efrati and

Peter Lattman

Updated Nov. 11, 2009 12:01 a.m. ET

The U.S. government lost the first major criminal trial spawned by the financial crisis as two former Bear Stearns hedge-fund managers were acquitted of securities fraud. Some prosecutors had viewed the case as a blueprint for future charges against Wall Street executives.

The two men, Ralph Cioffi and Matthew Tannin, were accused of lying to investors -- telling them they were optimistic about their funds, while privately worrying they were all but dead. The funds collapsed in 2007, in a prelude to the mortgage crisis...